Al Golden on Bengals Defense Ahead of Training Camp

Mon, Jul 27, 2026

Video Transcript

There's a lot of chatter about DJ and what, what he might, the future look like for him.

Why did he have such a good year last year?

What do you expect out of him and Dax early this year?

Yeah, number one, I think, uh, Chuck does a great job with those guys and, um, Chuck's very consistent in his approach and, and, uh, uh, the techniques that he's teaching.

I think DJ um made incredible strides in terms of just adhering to a process and keeping it really small.

I know I said that to you guys a bunch during the year.

But it's not just cliche.

He did it.

It's, it's really hard to do, especially at this level.

And um He made it really small, made consistent gains over time.

You know, he went from, you know, where he was week 1, week 2, to being the guy who was matching, you know, uh, the best player on the other team.

And, uh, uh, he earned every bit of it.

So he did a tremendous job, made growth every day.

Uh, studied hard, took care of himself off the field, physically, mentally, and, uh, just really excited for him.

What will, uh, Landon Robinson need to show you to make this roster?

Um.

Just keep doing what he's doing.

Um, you know, we haven't talked about the last 48 hours with Landon, but he picked up right where he left off in the, in the spring, you know, so it wasn't like, you know, we take a 56 week break and he comes back and doesn't know all the basics.

Um, he continued to learn.

He worked, uh, his tail off in the offseason.

Um, he did a great job there and, um, you know, all of that just sets the table now.

The opportunities are going to come, you know, we're gonna, uh, we're going to manage the load of some of the guys at his position that are significantly older than he is, uh, so he's going to be thrust into those opportunities on any given day during training camp and.

So just stay the course.

Just stay the course.

Obviously with the Navy background, have you ever coached someone as disciplined or kind of with that type of mentality?

Yeah, I don't know.

I mean, I, I, I think, um, that can come in, you know, a number of forms.

It's easy to, to say that because he, you know, he went to the Navy, um, but there's a lot of guys on our defense that I, I would say are just as disciplined, uh, in terms of their approach to the game, their love of the game.

The details, the questions they ask, how prepared they are every day.

Um, I think in, uh, in Landon's, uh, you know, in his background, certainly Navy attribute, you know, contributed to that.

Um, but I don't , I don't want to sell the young man short in terms of, uh, whatever school he went to.

I'm sure this is his makeup and his character.

And who he is as a young man.

So I'm really excited about that for him.

You've seen Dexter without the pads on, obviously, and you've gotten to know him on and off the field.

Once the pads go on, I'm curious, what are you looking forward to seeing the most from Dexter and how he impacts the defensive line?

Yes, I think the biggest thing is there's a lot of single blocks that, you know, look good on paper or in walkthroughs, and those are the ones he's got, he's got to win for us.

When the pads go on or when we're playing a preseason game or a scrimmage in Chicago, whatever the case may be.

So, um, I've watched it, you know, his lineage and his history.

He's done that, you know, uh, uh, consistently over time.

He's demonstrated that at a high level.

He can beat one on one blocks, he can play a gap and a half.

He's got great range, you know, uh, to the C gap, which a lot of guys his size don't have.

And, uh, since the day he signed, he's worked his tail off.

So.

A great human being, great mentor, great leader, awesome, awesome person to have in the building, and uh can't wait to watch him play.

What, what are your expectations for Jamar Stewart?

I'm sorry, what are your expectations for Jamar Stewart?

Uh, high, high, uh, very talented young man, explosive, strong, uh, has length, can collapse the pocket.

Um, has the versatility to rush inside and get a one on one against a guard, uh, where he should be athletically better, uh, unknown passing downs, 3 down package, that type of thing.

So, uh, he gives us great versatility and we should see a huge jump with him.

Ben, to be honest with you, you know, uh, he missed the offseason last year.

There was a lot of drama that weighs heavily on everybody, everybody in the organization.

Um, he missed the majority of training camp.

Uh, we threw him out there in game one.

he played pretty good.

When you watch the film, game one, played pretty good.

Uh, game two, he gets injured.

And now he's back, you know, back, uh, you know, off the field and losing ground.

So, uh, just, uh, do all the little things that Jerry's teaching him, be technically sound, and then let, let God's gift, you know, gifts come out, you know, let your talent and your ability to come out.

Uh, within the realm of the defense.

This defense obviously took a lot of criticism last year.

Do you, do you expect to see kind of a chip or an edge in camp this year?

I hope they do.

I hope, I hope they do.

Uh, you know, I certainly do.

Um, I think the coaches do.

Uh, I think the guys that were here do.

Uh, but I also, uh, know that, um, the guys that were here were the same guys that fought through it , you know, fought through it.

And, um, And got better for it, you know, um, for example, the linebackers, a lot of criticism, but, you know, they're, uh, the experience that they went through, the trials, the tribulations, the learning on the job against, you know, good competition, uh, that all should compound for us now.

And, uh, I think there's a lot of coordinators around the league that would love to have 200 tackle guys coming back.

Uh, that's what we have, and they're young, uh, and they're hungry, and I, that I think they do have an edge about them.

Uh, and I would also, You know, you can juxtapose that with, you know, we, we, we brought in 8 guys between free agency and the draft, uh, and that's a significant, like that's a significant number in the NFL to bring in 1 offseason.

Uh, and those guys are bringing a different sense of urgency and, and, and, uh, approach and, uh, you know, uh, vantage point.

So I think, uh, that's what needs to come together here in the next 6 weeks.

How much have you been scheming, coming up with different.

Possibilities for different formations, different whatever that you're going to throw out there.

Did that continue even in the last couple of weeks?

Certainly, uh, and again, you can't put it all in in the spring because you don't have that kind of that that time.

But then you have to say, OK, we didn't put this in.

Can we add this?

Can we add A, B, and C?

All right, is D too much?

All right, let's hold that for a game plan.

Um, so we're still in the process of doing that and um.

I think that's what these 6 weeks are about, right, this training camp, that's what it's about.

It's about how do we come together as a collective, uh, who emerge as leaders, um.

You know, uh, where are the position battles and, and, and how do they play out, um, but also, and again, Zach challenged us with this the other day, just take a deep breath and say, OK, are, are we, you know, are the guys that are the most talented, are we using them accordingly?

You know, are we, are we getting the most out of, of, of, you know, what, uh, they do best?

And I think that's what we're, uh, you know, what we, you know, have to get done here in the next 6 weeks.